Pan Fried Pork Chicharrones (Central American Style)

Learned this recipe from my uncle who is the king of Q' and chicharrones! Very simple and can easily be turned into a wonderful easy meal. Just add salsa, onions and warm tortillas and you got your self some taquitos de chicharrones. Also makes a great breakfast taco. When choosing the meat, make sure to buy pork meat that has nearly the same meat to fat ratio (50/50). It will usually come cubed or cut up and ready for chicharrones (or it can sometimes be labeled as meat for carnitas). The difference is that carnitas take hours to bake and they are usually shredded afterwards and chicharrones have a higher fat content, take about 30 mins to fry and are not shredded. Be very careful when frying as chicharrones tend to splatter (a splatter screen comes in handy now). Avoid using a fork to handle pork during cooking process as piercing it causes juices (what makes meat tender) to leak out. Use tongs instead.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2-2  lbs boneless pork (butt, roast or pork for carnitas (cut into 1 1/2 in cubed chunks )
• 2 -3  tablespoons cumin powder
•  salt
•  pepper
• 1  large lemon (halfed)
• 2  tablespoons  sour orage  juice (Goya Naranja agria)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  cooking oil (corn prefferably)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium high.
2. In a large bowl: Squeeze lemon juice over pork. Season pork with cumin, pepper and salt to taste. Pour orange juice over pork and toss. Let sit for about 30 minutes.
3. Test oil rediness by dropping a small piece of pork into oil. If it sizzles instantly, it is ready.
4. Discard marinade and place pork (slowly, one by one) into hot pan with tongs not fork. Cover with foil/lid and fry for about 15 minute Remove foil/lid and let fry for another 5 mins uncovered. Turn pork pieces and fry evenly on other sides (about 5-7 mins more). Finally, with tongs, stir pork around (turning frequently) in the hot pan for about 2 more mins or until you see a nice dark golden caramalized color on pork. Remove from pan with tongs and drain on paper towel. Serve warm.